How to Use MS Excel

Level of difficulty: Easy

Microsoft Excel is part of the Microsoft office suite. It is said to be the most popular spreadsheet program in the world. With this software, number calculations are performed easily and quickly. Charts, lists, and other forms of organized data can also be created using Microsoft Excel.

Materials Needed:
- One (1) computer with Windows installed
- Microsoft Office Excel 2007 installed on the system
Step 1
Launch Microsoft Excel 2007 by clicking Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Excel 2007. When the program loads, note the parts of the screen.
Step 2
On the top left corner is the 'Office' button which contains options in the usage of Excel. Beside it is the Quick Access Toolbar. This contains the commonly used commands such as 'Open' and 'Save'. In the middle of the title bar is the name of the open file. Located on the top right corner are the 'Minimize', 'Maximize/Restore', and 'Close' buttons.
Step 3
Under the title bar is the tab list. It contains the tabs of different menus. These include the 'Home', 'Insert', 'Page Layout', 'Formulas', 'Data', 'Review', 'View', 'Developer', and 'Add-Ins' tabs.
Step 4
The area under the tabs list is called the ribbon. It contains the set of options related to the tab chosen in Step 3.
Step 5
Under the ribbon are the Name Box and Formula Bar. The Name Box displays the cell address, the cell address range, or the object that is actively selected. The Formula Bar contains the contents of the current cell selected.
Step 6
The largest area is occupied by the cells. In a worksheet, there are over 17 billion cells. The active cell is noted by the Active Cell Indicator. It is a dark outline that borders a cell, or a range of cells.
Step 7
The top part of the cells area contains the column letters. The left side of the cells area contains the row numbers. The right side of the cells area is the vertical scroll bar. Under the cells area are the sheet tab scroll buttons, sheet tab and the horizontal scroll bar.
Step 8
The bottom bar of the screen shows the status bar, the page view button, and the zoom control. The status bar shows different messages and the statuses of the Num Lock, Caps lock, and Scroll Lock buttons. It also shows a summary of the cells currently selected. The zoom control contains a scroll, which enables zooming in and out of the current sheet.
Step 9
To open a worksheet, click on the 'Office' button and choose the 'Open' menu. Select the file that needs to be opened and click the 'Open' button.
Step 10
To create a new worksheet, click on the 'Office' button and select 'New'. A window opens and gives options on what sheet to create.
Step 11
To save a worksheet, click on the 'Office' button and click 'Save'. This saves the worksheet currently in use.
Step 12
For Excel Help, click the 'Question Mark' button on the right side of the tabs list. Pressing 'F1' will also launch the Excel Help. The Excel Help contains the list of functions and formulas that can be helpful in creating useful worksheets.